If ever there was a man who hates a drum roll it is Richard Hill. England's flanker looked suitably appalled yesterday when asked if his imminent return might hold the key to whether his side would win or lose this World Cup.

Being cast as the great white hope is not his style. Yet England without Hill have struggled to scale any peaks. Almost from the moment he went off 10 minutes into the second half against Georgia, the English pack has looked less assured. Now, at long last, "Broken Hill" has reported fit again, his reputation massively enhanced in his absence.

The 30-year-old has played only one and half games of competitive rugby since June. He will be faced, moreover, with the French trio of Serge Betsen, Olivier Magne and Imanol Harinordoquy, who are playing like Lycra-clad gods. It may not work out but, having feared several times that his World Cup was over, Hill is more than ready to take the risk.

"I did have some down patches when I felt progress just wasn't going to happen," he says quietly. "There were certainly occasions when I felt: 'Is this going my way? Is a whole summer of preparation going to be lost?' That's the hardest bit, when you're two or three games down the line and you're not putting the shirt on and trotting out.

"I don't see it as me coming back to turn things round," he added. "It's too much of a team game for one person to be making a dramatic impact that turns a semi-final of a World Cup."

While Hill prepares for his Test return, Austin Healey is travelling back to Leicester after less than two days in Australia. Healey was called out on stand-by following England's quarter-final win against Wales. He arrived in Sydney early on Tuesday morning, but was freed to return to his club yesterday.

Full-back Josh Lewsey and wing Iain Balshaw have been declared available for selection following fitness tests. Lewsey has shrugged off a hamstring problem and Balshaw, who had picked up an earlier ankle knock, has recovered from a knee injury.